Navalny brother, aides under house arrest ahead of Russia protests

The brother and aides of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were placed under house arrest ahead of new rallies, as Russian authorities warned Friday that protesters could face charges of taking part in "mass unrest".

Kremlin critics say authorities are dramatically ramping up pressure on the Russian opposition in an effort to intimidate protesters and smother dissent ahead of new nationwide rallies planned for Sunday.

Navalny's brother Oleg, prominent aide Lyubov Sobol and Pussy Riot activist Maria Alyokhina were placed under house arrest until March 23 for allegedly violating restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic by calling for people to join protests.

The coordinator of Navalny's Moscow office, Oleg Stepanov, and Anastasia Vasilyeva, the head of the medical workers' union critical of the government, were also placed under house arrest for two months.

Navalny's brother Oleg has already served three-and-a-half years in prison for an embezzlement conviction Kremlin critics say was politically motivated. He was released in 2018.

The pressure on Navalny's family and associates grew after tens of thousands of Russians rallied last weekend in support of Putin's most vocal domestic critic, who survived a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent.

Navalny's team has urged new protests, suggesting residents of Moscow gather on Sunday in Lubyanka Square outside the headquarters of the FSB security agency and Staraya Square, where the presidential administration has its offices.

Over 4,000 protesters were detained across the country last weekend and authorities launched a number of criminal probes. Several Navalny associates, including Sobol, were detained following police raids on their apartments and offices this week.

Moscow eased coronavirus restrictions earlier this week, allowing bars and restaurants to work all night and offices to be fully staffed, citing a steep decline in infections.

However, city officials refrained from lifting a ban on mass gatherings.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, also announced Friday that Leonid Volkov, the head of Navalny's regional network based in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, was wanted on charges of calling minors to join unauthorised rallies.

Prosecutors and police have repeatedly warned Russians against participating in "unauthorised" events and on Friday, the General Prosecutor's Office upped the ante, saying that demonstrators could face charges of mass unrest if protests turn violent.

In a message from jail, Navalny on Thursday urged Russians to stage new rallies.

"The majority is on our side. Let's wake them up," he wrote from Moscow's Matrosskaya Tishina, a high-security detention centre.

Police detained the 44-year-old anti-graft campaigner at a Moscow airport after he returned to Russia on January 17 from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with Novichok, a Soviet-designed nerve toxin.

A makeshift court at a police station last week ordered Navalny placed in custody until February 15.

On Thursday, a court rejected an appeal by his lawyers to release him from custody ahead of a high-profile trial set to begin on Tuesday.

He is facing charges of violating the terms of a 2014 suspended sentence and could be jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Many protesters say they are angered by Navalny's jailing after the attempt on his life he blames on the FSB domestic intelligence service.

Others were incensed by the findings of Navalny's investigative report claiming that an opulent palace was built for Putin on the Black Sea coast.

The two-hour report on the palace has racked up more than 100 million views.

Navalny's probe forced Putin to deny that he or his relatives own the property.

On Friday, Meduza, a popular Russian-language news site based in Latvia, released its own investigation into the seaside mansion.

Citing contractors, Meduza claimed the property features a 16-storey underground complex and that the Federal Guard Service -- tasked with protecting the president -- oversees construction works.

One of the people involved in building the residence said the Russian leader should live well.

"A tsar should have a palace," the unidentified person was quoted as saying.

Russian state television on Friday tried to rebut opposition claims the Black Sea property near the city of Gelendzhik was a luxurious palace by airing footage of it under construction.